Out now for the next (current?) Generation of console systems, Remedy’s Control Ultimate Edition delivers a substantial overhaul of the 2019 classic. By bundling the original release with its DLC, plus 60 frames per second performance and 30fps ray tracing modes , Control is a game made for the new machines. The technological limitations of the latest generation machines are effortlessly overcome and the new console editions offer more than a taste of the game’s fully enabled PC rendering – but are we looking at platform parity between the new Sony and Microsoft systems?
Remedy itself has already revealed the full specifications of the new versions, which essentially boils down to this: PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X run at native 1440p resolution (without dynamic resolution scaling) with a temporary upscaling to 2160p output. Graphics and performance modes are essentially a ray tracing support switch, adding RT reflections on opaque and glass surfaces. RT locks users in at 30fps gaming, while disabling it removes the frame rate limit, with performance limited only by 60Hz v-sync. There’s an interesting side effect, though: the engaging in-game photo mode removes the 30fps limit in RT mode and opens the door to a potential kind of benchmark, something we’ll look at in due time.
A look at how PS5, Series X and Series S consoles compare.
Without giving too much away, it’s clear that Control in RT graphics mode has a significant amount of headroom going beyond 30fps (but nowhere near 60 for the most part, it’s worth highlighting) , as a result, in standard gameplay, both Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 stick to their target frame rate of 30. The only outlier here is the introduction of incorrect frame pacing in very rare scenarios, but otherwise it’s almost flawless. In terms of quality settings and visual features, Series X and PlayStation 5 look like a complete match – with only a slight difference in gamut levels. Control on PS5 (and it seems on other titles) seems to have crushed blacks and a generally darker presentation. System level screenshots show the same thing, ruling out a recording problem.
In addition, Series X shows some stuttering that you don’t see on PS5 – regardless of whether it is set to graphics or performance modes. It pops up with the advent of UI elements on the screen and in standard traversal, and can be disruptive. We understand that Remedy wants to address this in a future patch, but it’s the only blot in what is otherwise a very polished 30fps experience with beautiful RT work.
The Digital Foundry technical review for Control Ultimate Edition.
Performance mode, meanwhile, aims to run Control at 60 frames per second. Overall, it’s an excellent experience no matter what system you’re playing on, and in terms of sheer playability, it’s the best way to enjoy the game. At this point we can also consider Xbox Series S. It lacks the 30fps RT mode and focuses on performance only, with an experience of 60fps at native 900p, with a temporary upscaling to 1080p. You lose precision due to the reduced resolution, but the gameplay is still golden and compares favorably with Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.
All three systems follow a very similar performance profile: the action is fast and smooth, marred only by full screen effects that can drop to the mid-50fps as the chaos unfolds on screen. Due to the dynamic nature of the game, it’s not easy to ‘rank’ the consoles here – it seems that Series X outperforms PlayStation 5 in some scenarios, while in others the opposite is true. Xbox Series S appears to be the least consistent overall, but only by a very small margin. The most notable problem here is the Xbox’s stuttering, which causes it to snag on top of the existing frame rate drops, just like in Series X’s 30fps mode. It might be more of an issue here as deviations from a 16ms frame time are more noticeable compared to a frame time of 33 ms. This seems to be a throwback to the last generation of systems, but it is nevertheless odd that PlayStation 5 doesn’t seem to have the problem, and we hope that this will be resolved on Xbox consoles through a future title update.
Ultimately, Control on PS5 and Xbox series consoles is a great release – if not the definitive experience. Before that, it’s still a PC with a powerful RTX card, where DLSS AI upscaling can surpass native resolution rendering and deliver the full range of ray-traced effects. That said, the game itself is as immersive as ever, and the upgrade from the latest generation of console versions is profound to say the least. Whatever console you have, it is highly recommended.